A review by patsmith139
Amy, 27: Amy Winehouse and The 27 Club by Howard Sounes

4.0

I was very impressed by the author's thorough research and his sane and balanced viewpoint. He writes well and I found it quite compelling. The stories of the '27' Club's principal members are sobering (quite ironic given the role of alcohol in so many of the stories) and generally sad. Most of them were intelligent, nice people who went through a traumatic childhood and did not have the mental strength to cope with all that fame and fortune brings. Nor we're they served well by family, friends and lovers. When you read just how badly they abused their bodies with drugs and alcohol it's amazing they even reached 27. The author looks at the lives and deaths of Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse. He moves through a life-phase of each musician-childhood, the struggle for recognition, fame at last, how they handled fame, the descent into serious substance abuse and the very moving final days. Generally he handles this well but just occasionally it seems a bit awkward. Apart from this small thing this is a fantastic insight into the pressures of fame and how dangerous it can be.